


Thank You For The Music

by skyoung200



Category: Captive Prince - C. S. Pacat
Genre: Alternate Universe - Modern Setting, Auguste (Captive Prince) Lives, Cheesy romance, Coffee Shop, Fluff, Guide Dog, M/M, SO FLUFFY, blind laurent, but otherwise happy, cute shit, drabble style writing, jord is a supportive friend, like a second of angst, no beta we die like men, open mic at a coffee shop, singer Damen, sweet romance
Language: English
Status: In-Progress
Published: 2020-01-21
Updated: 2020-01-21
Packaged: 2021-02-27 13:40:47
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 2
Words: 3,219
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/22344250
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/skyoung200/pseuds/skyoung200
Summary: Laurent was not happy to have been tricked into attending an open mic at his favorite cafe but when he hears Damen sing, he never wants Damen to stop.
Relationships: Damen/Laurent (Captive Prince), Lazar/Pallas (Captive Prince)
Comments: 4
Kudos: 33





	1. Chapter One

**Author's Note:**

> Hello! Here is a blind Laurent AU. I am not blind but I did my best! I hope you enjoy!

Laurent settled in at the table with relative ease today. He had been coming to this café for a few weeks now, once or twice a week, to get out of his apartment, at the suggestion of his therapist. He had spent so much time shut into his apartment, he worked from home, on his laptop, no office. His friends invited him places, especially Jord who looked after him like a brother. His real brother… well he wasn’t here anymore to help. So, Laurent stayed in a lot. But now he was going out, fresh air, new environment all that shit.

The café was nice, it always smelt strongly of coffee and the sweet syrups they mixed in. The music was never overly obnoxious, an indie pop the college aged baristas picked out and played. He sat at the same table most days, in a back corner, away from windows or doors, to feel safer despite the anxiety big open spaces with lots of people could induce. He was here to get rid of that and be more social, again his therapist. Paschal would be proud or at least slightly better than his normal complete neutrality.

Laurent could work at the café, headphones in and connected to the decent Wi-Fi he could work in peace. He was a programmer. He did well with logic and the numbers. If he wasn’t doing that work, he was writing. Writing was more personal work though, and he wasn’t published. He refused to actually try, no matter what his friends told him. He just wasn’t interested. 

At first when he started visiting the cafe, he had bumped into things, nearly tripped, it was difficult. But as his guide dog and him began to work together and the more they went to the same space the easier it was. He had been working with his guide dog for a few months. He had gotten the guide dog straight out of the puppies training with a professional company and had never had one before so it had taken a while to adjust. The training had been brutal but all worth it in the end. He was now enjoying the autonomy and movement more than he was willing to admit, after having been stubborn for years about getting one.

The café hadn’t minded his service animal, unlike some inconsiderate other cafes he had tried first. When he had tried the one he now frequented, no one said a thing and it wasn’t in a bad way. They had left him to do what he needed, left his dog alone, and he felt good there. His dog, named Gaston by some of the trainers, a golden retriever (or so he was told), sat at his feet under the table as he worked and all was well.

Laurent had been blind since a young age. He wasn’t born blind; it had happened in… well it certainly wasn’t fully an accident. When he was about 14, there had been a fight with his uncle and with his brother, and in an attempt to protect his brother, he had gotten between the two, a bottle of drain cleaner was thrown. It hadn’t ended well for his eyes and after a seemingly endless stay at the hospital, he was blind. Doctors saying there was nothing left to do, his eyes hadn’t been washed out soon enough and irreparable damage was done.

Laurent looks back on that time and wonders. Without his brother he really would have thought his life was over. But Auguste refused to let this stop his baby brother. He was there in the hospital, he took care of him at home, and when he was in better physical shape got him access to anything and everything. Tutors, role models, teachers, it didn’t matter, if Laurent wanted to do something, they would find a way. Laurent knows he was truly privileged in that, and he would forever be grateful for his brother.

Then his brother had to run off and follow his dreams or whatever. Laurent wasn’t even truly mad. He gave Auguste shit but was proud of his brother for starting his own business in France, and finding a lovely wife. He was maybe just a little jealous, but he would never admit it.

So, now Laurent was left to be an independent adult with his guide dog and his at home work without his brother, his best friend.

Today there seemed to be more people than normal. He had to sit at a different table, there seemed to be a new barista, there were whispers not so quiet about his guide dog. He really wasn’t enjoying his time here already and he had only just settled down. Jord was set to arrive in a few minutes and a barista would be bringing over his drink soon.

He heard someone sit down across from his and felt a drink pushed gently into his hands. “Hello there.” Jord said lightly and Laurent immediately relaxed.

“Hello there.” Laurent replied and picked up his drink to take a sip.

“There is open mic here in an hour and I think you should stay and listen, and yes I may have mildly tricked you into this but trust me.” Jord said in a rush and took a sip of his own drink. “They have music, and poetry and all sorts of interesting artsy things that seemed like your thing. I also have some friends performing and I’d like you to meet them. I know you’ve been avoiding my invitations when you know they’ll be there.” His voice was tinged with a bit of desperation and a bit of a strict brotherly tone. He wasn’t letting Laurent escape and isolate himself again.

Laurent tilted his head down to where his hands were holding and turned the cup his drink was in slowly. He was all at once pissed, worried, anxious, and maybe a little interested. He sighed heavily and tilted his head back up. It had taken a lot of practice to learn how to remember where people he was speaking to were and how to “look” at them while having a conversation. So, he “looked” back up at Jord and nodded, “If I’m already here and you’ve fucking tricked me, I’ll stay. I’ll fucking get you back for this.” He says in a tone not as menacing as he had hoped for. “So, your friends will be here?”

…

There had already been four performers, two poetry and two music. They had been good; Laurent couldn’t deny he was enjoying it a lot. Even though he clearly felt the absence of sight and whatever the crowd was looking at that he couldn’t see, it was okay since an open mic was of course mostly emphasizing sound.

The next performer was apparently one of Jord’s new friends’ boyfriend and this friend had joined them at their table just before the performance started. Lazar, was his name, if Laurent heard correctly but introductions would have to wait, as Pallas started an old Greek epic, seemingly twisting the story to a modern version poetry mash. Laurent enjoyed the creativity and yet the core of the original story from antiquity.

Apparently, there was a small break now and loud chatter broke out across the room. Laurent shifted anxiously in his seat, no clue where to “look”. Then there was another person sitting down too close next to him. “Hello!” A cheery voice greeted, Pallas, the one who had just performed. Laurent nodded in greeting and stayed quiet as the three friends launched into praises and conversation.

Laurent grabbed Gaston’s harness and readied himself to leave. He wasn’t going to sit here to be surrounded by a crowd and still feel ignored. He had no clue if there would be more performances, not like he could read any of the flyers advertising the event around.

Jord of course noticed and immediately reached out to stop him. “Laurent, hey, where are you going?” He said it low enough and was close enough to Laurent the others couldn’t hear.

Laurent responded in a quiet voice, “I am not here to sit and listen to you be social while I get overwhelmed in a crowd.” He said with a strong bite as a person flowing through the crowd bumped into his should, knocking him into the table because he had nothing to grab on to stabilize himself. He heard glasses crash, he felt Jord pull him up, and Gaston immediately respond by gently tugging, trying to find a clear path to walk. It felt like a hush fell over the whole café, until it was broken by a barista coming to clean up the mess and the general chatter beginning again. Laurent stopped, Gaston stopped and he looked to the hand on his arm. “Please let me go.” He knew he had just knocked drinks off the table, probably Jord’s friend’s drinks. He just wanted to leave.

“It’s okay Laurent just sit down, the performances are meant to start again in a minute, just stick it out please.” Jord had a pleading tone and pulled Laurent’s chair closer to him again. Laurent sunk down into the seat.

He looked about where he figured he heard the glasses crash and stuttered out an apology. Lazar and Jord both responded quickly brushing it off, telling him it was okay, starting to ask questions. Laurent was saved from answering any of them by the host announcing another performer and the end of the intermission and he allowed his typical hard glare to fall back in place.

This next performer must have also been a member of Jord’s friend group as the trio behind him whistled and made joking cat calls to whoever was on stage. They fell quiet and the performer started. Damen was his name from the jeers of his friends and he was covering some pop song in an acoustic style.

His voice was lovely. Laurent looked up and felt entranced. His voice was deep but not too much so and it drifted through the notes of the song with grace. He seemed to be singing this for the millionth time, clearly well practiced as he strummed along on a guitar. Laurent of course was more aware of people’s voices than most since it was much of what he had to remember people by and Damen’s voice just seemed perfect. He hadn’t even realized he was slightly swaying along until it stopped and the room cheered.

Laurent shook his head and looked down to his lap. The rest of the performances passed by without him really noticing, just turning over the notes of that voice in his head and trying to commit it to memory.

The end of the open mic came and most of the crowd filtered out to go to a nearby bar to celebrate and drink. Laurent of course was expecting to be left, to go home and sleep from the stress. Jord had others plans, he had asked his circle to hold off the drinking and spend time in the café to socialize with Laurent, to let them all meet one another.

So, Laurent didn’t get to go home, he was forced into small talk. Lazar, Pallas, Aimeric, Erasmus, Troveld, Halvik, and near the end Damen. They talked and talked and Laurent responded as little as possible until he heard that voice again. This time speaking as he sat down with their group and greeted everyone.

“Hello, you must be Laurent, Jord has talked about.” He held out his hand to shake for only a moment before his face turned a deep shade of red and he set his hands down. He knew Laurent was blind, Jord had only told them after much insisting and probing. He wanted to respect Laurent’s privacy but he also couldn’t always explain why certain hang outs weren’t practical because they were not practical for guide dogs or any fun for a blind person. And when Jord told him it had explained a lot about their previous interactions, or well Damen trying to interact.

Damen frequented the same café as Laurent. He had seen the blonde before. Mysterious with his dark glasses, beautiful golden hair, an androgynous face, and a service dog that Damen had never really paid close attention to. Damen had tried to smile at the blonde, wave, nod, anything to start a friendly interaction without speaking and truly bothering him. He thought the blonde just wasn’t interested until he realized he had making faces at a person who couldn’t see him the whole time and felt silly. But now he had a chance to talk to the blonde. He was still giddy from his good performance and he knew this meant a lot to Jord.

Damen beamed as Laurent perked up and turned toward his voice. “Hello, Damen was is? Nice performance.” He said in a cool tone, Laurent always had a strong poker face and voice, he didn’t want anyone seeing how much he liked Damen’s voice.


	2. Chapter Two

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Romance blooms.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Hope you enjoy!

Damen was humming the tune to “Thank You For The Music” from Mama Mia as he walked to the café. He had been practicing it for the next open mic and more specifically for Laurent. Somehow, he had, after that first meeting, convinced Laurent to come to their next game night as a group of friends and since then Laurent had been accepting more of Jord’s invitations.

Today he was meeting Laurent at the café and just Laurent. The most recent night out with friends Laurent’s dark thick glasses had been knocked off and his dog pet by a drunk person in the street and had refused multiple invitations out since. Damen had been there when it happened. He knew Laurent was blind but not because he had been hurt. His eyes seemed foggy and discolored. They seemed to be consumed by scar tissue and the skin around his eyes was also molted with scars. They looked like chemical burns. Laurent had seemed embarrassed and angry all at once. He had quickly put the glasses back on when Damen handed them back to him and turned away. Damen got the sense that Laurent was ashamed, though Damen still found him incredibly beautiful and unique all the same.

Damen had Laurent’s phone number from about a month ago when it was decided he was trustworthy enough to pick Laurent up and drive him when needed so after silence for a week, Damen had sent a message asking about meeting up. Laurent had agreed so long as it was on his terms.

So, here they were in their usual café sharing drinks. Laurent keeping his head down and Damen unsure of how to reassure Laurent without reaching out to touch him.

Gaston shuffled a little under the table, settling in for what he assumed would be their normal long stay and work at the café and Damen smiled. He had seen Gaston once with his work vest off for a break and had never seen a more loving dog. Nikandros had jokingly compared him to the dog and Damen hadn’t completely disagreed and Laurent had laughed. Damen sighed as the silence now continued, missing that sweet laugh, so he coughed and spoke up, “There’s another open mic coming up in about a week and I wanted to invite you.”

Laurent tilted his head a bit at that and nodded. “Maybe, but why me? You have everyone else who could come, last time was a little too crowded for me and Gaston.” He said trying to avoid another open mic. While it had been nice, the embarrassment of knocking things over and not being able to see while a large group of people tried to make conversation was just a little too much. Many of the other evenings out they had had since then were not nearly as crowded or busy so they had been okay. But another open mic didn’t sound terribly appealing. He got to hear Damen speaking and humming regularly and though he would kill to hear him sing again and he didn’t want the social pressure.

Damen frowned and leaned forward with his elbows on the table, “Well… I... uh, I like you Laurent and I’d like you to be there. I chose the song for you.” He admits deciding no matter how awkward, honesty was best and really, he never waited this long after meeting someone to ask them out. He was a straight forward guy but he didn’t want to rush or mess up with Laurent. He shifted slightly in his seat and took a sip of his still too hot coffee.

Laurent was stunned into silence and then he felt his entire face warm with a bright blush. Damen saw it and his smile came back full force. “Please Laurent, it would mean a lot and it’s okay if you don’t return my feelings, I’d still like you to be there.” Damen said, knowing full well he would be heartbroken if Laurent said he didn’t feel the same way but he didn’t want to pressure the blonde into anything.

“I’ll be there.” Laurent said softly with a nod.

…

Laurent swore he could listen to Damen sing forever. That his voice eased him like nothing else could and made him forget about the rest of the world. The song had such sweet lyrics as well. Damen was clearly in love with music and he sung with all his heart. Laurent was incredibly embarrassed about the fact Damen had announced, publicly, that it was dedicated to him.

First of all, Damen had made sure to save a table near the stage for his friends, and mostly Laurent. Then he had ordered them all drinks, Laurent of course received his favorite without evening having to ask. Then someone told Laurent there were flowers for him and a note. Which was in braille. ‘Thank you for coming.’ In larger print along the top of the card and on the bottom half there was ‘You’re my muse’ and Laurent’s face was a striking shade of red. So needless to say, Damen had gone above and beyond before he even got on stage.

Then he got on stage and went a bit beyond.

Laurent had never publicly been personally thanked for being anywhere. He had also never felt more stared at in his life which was something impressive. It was brief but message clear, “This song is dedicated to my muse, my music. Thank you for inspiring me and being here for me.” Which was followed by a series of cheers and whoops. Laurent assumed he had been pointed out and he sunk a bit in his chair.

But he forgot his embarrassment entirely as Damen sung.

And was positively grumpy when Damen stopped and stepped off stage to let the next performer begin.

Then he was pleased again as Damen sat in the chair next to him and gently took his hand in his own larger and warmer one. Laurent’s hand was calloused from holding onto Gaston’s harness but Damen caressed it gently as they both paid attention to the next performer. Laurent had never been one for physical attention but this was something he found himself liking as much as Damen’s singing. 


End file.
